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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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 Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 3:29 pm
 My name is...Luc Favreau.
But you can call me...Luc or Favreau with any different title like 'mister' or 'sir', depending on our relationship.
I've celebrated...26...birthdays.
If you are blind, I am a...male.
I am...183 cm...tall.
I live in...Paris, France.
I was born in...Bordeaux, France.
I like to...read, write, play instruments, and take walks...on my spare time.
I work as a...journalist, but as a novelist on my free time.
People say I'm...understanding in most possible ways, caring, strict when need be, charming, respected.
My family is...well respected in Bordeaux, but poor nonetheless. They continue to work in the vineyards, despite the low income. It seems like I'm their only chance of stable living conditions, since I share part of my paycheck with them when necessary.
I like...reading, writing, playing instruments, wine, traveling, going to public events, sharing dinner with people, making new acquaintances with people.
I do not like...ignorant and arrogant people, flies (or bugs of any sort, especially spiders), small annoying animals, and tourists who think France is just wonderful (even though it is, most of the time).
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:07 pm
My name is... Niklas "Tier" König
I am also known as... Screw Up, Idiot and alot of
other harsh names around the camp...
Please call me Niklas though
I've celebrated... 22... birthdays
I'm a... boy! No matter what the others say!
I live... Where ever... I travel alot.
I was born in... Frankfurt, Germany
I like to... groom the lions, draw, sew and cook
I am a... Lion Tamer for Le Cirque des Reves
People say I'm... Clumsly, stupid, small, annoying, and untalented...
But I don't care what they say;
I'm the only one that can
handle the Lions.
My family is... the circus folk! But they don't
really like me... the only one that
did died awhile back.
I like... Working with the lions, drawing,
running off into towns and
seeing all the cool things, making new friends,
spiders, cleaning, traveling,
preforming, and cooking.
I do not like... When the ring master
yells at me when I don't get all the l
aundry done, getting bullied, bugs,
when people laugh at my act when it's not funny.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:48 pm
The audience hung on the edge of their seats as the trapeze act flew from one side of the tent to the other. Behind the curtain Niklas “Tier” König, the lion tamer, tied a loose loop around his favorite lion’s neck.
“Here we go Dolch; we’ve been rehearsing all week, time to show them what we got.” Niklas said to the tan lion while stroking his mane. “We can do this.” He said more to himself then to the lion, getting lost in his pools of chocolate brown.
“Kid, you’re up.” A harsh voice filled him with nervousness as he stood up and nodded. The ring master passed by him and whispered something in his ear. He nodded again and pulled on the rope attached to Dolch.
The sudden bright lights as he entered the ring were always a surprise to him no matter how many times’s he’d done the act. He looked at the small stand, the rubber ball and whip in the middle and subconsciously wandered over to them, all the while his eyes grazing the crowd. He always found one face to look at when he looked into the audience during his act. Dolch hopped up on the stand and roared like he was trained to do.
“Mesdames et Messieurs, for the next act; Tier the lion tamer will show you some amazing trick with his lion Dolch!” The ring master yelled behind him, signaling Niklas to start with a nod. The ring master's words rang through his ears again. Don't mess up again!
“Mesdames et Messieurs, for my first trick, Dolch will balance on his hind legs while balancing a ball on his nose! Then he will balance on a ball while balancing a cup of water on his nose!" Niklas yelled to the crowd, locking eyes with the man he picked to keep his eyes on. A blonde haired man, dressed nicely and seemingly alone.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:11 pm
He is at the circus not only for his enjoyment, but for his profession. That place inside him that yearns, needs, to visit the traveling circus throbs like a skipped heartbeat as he enters the front gates. That place inside him that is there for work hangs above his head like a sullen rain cloud.
Not that Luc Favreau did not love his job as a journalist for the local paper. He loved writing reviews of the various entertainment Paris had to offer and, along with going to new places, his got to meet many interesting people. The people. They put the cherry on top of the sundae that was his career.
It took Luc barely a minute to decide which tent to enter. It was the biggest, the one that was sure to hold the most interesting secrets and events. He took his seat quietly with a small smile plastered to his pale face and rested his notebook on his lap. He flipped through it’s pages at he waited for the trapeze event to be over; he had come in half way and could not write a report on it. His dark eyes scanned fantastic reviews of restaurants and cafes, not so great reviews of local street performers, all written in his handwriting.
His gaze was drawn upward as the next event began, the curtain parting to let through a man younger than Luc himself, the lion tamer, dubbed Tier. Luc met Tier’s gaze as he began to speak. He was definitely not born a Frenchman; not only his qualities gave him away, but the way he spoke. Even though it seemed he had been speaking French for quite some time, there was a twinge of something else Luc couldn’t place.
Luc made a low noise-a hum, perhaps, of approval. “Continuer, Tier, let’s see what you’ve got,” He whispered to himself, ink pen poised at the start of a new page in his notebook.
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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 5:39 pm
Niklas cracked the whip above Dolch’s head and the lion roared, instantly balancing himself on his hind legs. He roared again before Niklas threw a small rubber ball up. Dolch caught it with ease, jumping a little bit to show his skill like he was trained. The crowed clapped and cheered, some even whistled.
“Come on Dolch, let’s show them what we really got.” Niklas whispered cracking his whip again. The lion dropped to all fours again before jumping down from the stand and pacing the edges of the ring like he always did, roaring and growling when he got close to the people in the front seat.
Niklas cracked his whip when a bigger rubber ball was rolled out from behind the curtain, signaling Dolch to return to Niklas. “Dolch will now stand on this ball while balancing on his hand legs! Can he do it?!” Niklas asked the crowd, looking at that one man again. Shouts of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ filled the air along with cheers and clapping as Niklas sighed, cracking the whip once more.
The audience quieted as Dolch jumped on the ball, balancing on all fours before slowly but surely rising in the air. Niklas smiled as the giant cat straightened up and stood on his hind legs. Niklas climbed the small ladder with the glass of water that had been on the floor moments before and placed it slowly on Dolch’s nose. His smile deepened as he looked at the man in the crowd again.
He climbed off the ladder before walking in front of the balancing lion before spreading his arms out wide. “Tout le monde, Dolch!" The crowd cheered again. Suddenly the crowd quieted before Niklas felt water drench his head and the glass that held the water moment’s before. "Ow." Niklas said before he was shoved to the ground by Dolch.
The crowd laughed at Niklas’s misfortune, the obnoxious noise filling the tent. Niklas looked at the ring master who was standing at the edge of the ring. He had his head down and was shaking it. Niklas sighed as Dolch got off of him and roared. I messed up... Niklas thought with a sigh of defeat. His eye’s locked once more with the man before he got up and walked towards the curtain.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:07 pm
Luc did not clap along with the others. Not that he was not amazed. He had realized for some time that Tier’s gaze kept returning to his own. He was not sure if Tier could see his eyes exactly, but all of his praise were there in their gray depths.
He watched carefully with anticipation, feeling slightly nervous each time the lion moved. The wild cat just seemed so huge next to the tamer and one slip up…would bring the whole thing crashing down. As that one slip did.
The water from the glass had tipped, almost as if in slow motion. There was one collective gasp from the crowd, and one wince from Luc as the glass hit the man on the head. A hard object falling from that height would still heart a great deal, undoubtedly.
The lion, Dolch, had knocked Tier to the ground. If one did not know that Tier was a trained tamer, one would most likely think the lion had turned on him. Even though Luc knew this, he breathed a sigh of relief when Dolch got off him, roaring like the mighty beast he was.
Laughing filled the tent, erupting from everyone around him. He did not join in, just frowned slightly, brows furrowing thoughtfully as he watched shame transform Tier’s features, however hard it was to see from his seat.
“Je suis désolé, Tier,” Luc said, louder this time, though his words were lost in the laughing and ‘boo’s’. He was not quite sure why he said what he said, but as Tier’s eyes met his again, he knew. He said it because he was the only one who cared in that circus tent. The only one who focused on the good Tier had done, and not the bad.
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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:34 pm
The show continued on with more amazing acts, Niklas being the only screw up of the night. Through the rest of the show the ring master refused to even look as Niklas. He stayed in Dolch’s cage, cuddling close to the mighty beast for comfort.
“It wasn’t your fault, it was mine.” He sighed into the lion’s soft mane. Nacht, Niklas’s other lion, walked over and laid down next to them in a comforting matter. “And now the ring master is going to yell at me again. What am I to do? Why can’t I do anything right?” He cried, stroking Nacht’s fur.
Niklas heard loud applause, the loudest of the night, and knew the show was over. He knew he was about to get yelled at. He knew he was about to be told how much of a screw up he was and how he couldn’t do anything correctly. “I know that already!!” He yelled at nobody in particular.
“Knew what, Niklas?” A voice, rough from yelling all night, asked. Niklas looked up at the cage door and saw the ring master standing there in his show clothes still. Niklas stood up and walked over the lions towards the ring master.
“Nothing sir,” Niklas said with another sigh, dropping his head.
“Niklas, how many times do I have to tell you, you have to get that trick down?! I know it’s a lion on a rubber ball but if you can’t get it right I’ll have to take you out of the show. Look, I know you try your hardest and you are the only one that can make the lions listen but please... try harder.” The ring master paused for a moment before speaking again. “Oh yes, and someone wants to talk to you. His name is Luc Favreau, he’s a journalist.” With that the ring master walked away to talk to some of the other performers.
Niklas looked at the man who had been standing behind the ring master. He was familiar, it took Niklas only a moment to recognize him as the man he had kept his eyes on the whole time. He quickly brushed himself off, having changed into casual work clothing after his failed act. “Hello I’m Niklas.” He said, holding his hand out awkwardly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 6:55 pm
Luc waited for the majority of the crowd to disperse after the show before he made his way across the rows of seats and to the back of the stage. He probably should not have been doing this, walking into forbidden areas of the tent, but it was part of his job. He had a journalist’s license, but he doubted he would need to show it.
He met with the ringmaster and introduced himself as the head critique of the paper. The ringmaster looked positively terrified, like Luc might write a horrible review and the circus might be ruined. Luc did not say much about it though, and only asked to interview the lion tamer, Tier.
It was perhaps the ringmasters fright that led him to chastise Tier in front of Luc. He was not incredibly mean in the way he spoke, but his words held impending doom. There was no chance that Tier wanted to be kicked out of the show. It was most likely his entire life-those lions, the show, the people, the traveling.
He did not speak. It was not his place to interfere. However, as soon as the ringmaster walked away, Luc loosened up and smiled slightly. Luc grasped Niklas’ hand firmly, shaking it once before letting it go, though the warmth of his hand lingered. “It’s nice to hear your real name; I thought I’d be calling you Tier,” He chuckled a little, though his attempt at humor fell short. It didn’t usually, he charmed all the ladies just well, though he himself earned no enjoyment from it. He cleared his throat awkwardly and tried again. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Niklas. I am Luc Favreau from the local newspaper. I was hoping to interview you if you were not too busy."
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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:13 pm
“No I’m not busy, if you don’t want to be in a cage full of lions then we can sit down on that bench over there and talk.” Niklas said sadly, still bummed that he might not be in the show any more. Luc nodded and they walked over to the wooden bench. “If you want to know what happened today in the ring I don’t know what went wrong, Dolch can do the trick perfectly at practice yet, not in the ring. I think he has stage fright but the ring master doesn’t believe me. Though, he doesn’t know Dolch and Nacht like I do... Oh, desole, I speak to much, I’m usually very quiet. Ah, I’m still talking. Okay, I’ll shut up now and let you interview me. But please don’t tell the news paper the circus was bad; don’t let my act screw up the whole show. Oh, I’m still talking, sorry.” Niklas said in one breath, the words falling carelessly out of his mouth. Why was he acting this way?
Luc smiled, sending a slight blush across Niklas’s face. Why was he blushing? Sure, the man was cute but he was, well just that, a man. That’s forbidden right? Still, the blush remained and he was lost in Luc’s eyes, gray as a stormy sea yet, calm like morning fog. And his blonde hair, like wheat, straight and smooth, so nice. Niklas shook his head and dragged himself back into reality; Luc was a French man who lived in Paris, Niklas was a German with no permanent home. He wouldn’t even have a chance. “I’m sorry, can you repeat the question?” Niklas asked as re realized Luc had been talking the whole time he had been zoning out.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:32 pm
Luc’s attention was held the entire time Niklas was walking. Luc realized that Niklas must have some sort of insecurity; he was apologizing like crazy. Most people Luc knew were too conceited to apologize like that, especially his boss, who was ruthless. He could help but think that under Niklas’ stage appearance, his innocence was quiet adorable, as adorable goes.
He couldn’t help himself from smiling, his eyebrows raised in amusement. “It’s all right, I assure you. I do not mind talking; in my profession it is just writing, writing all day and not speaking to anyone but yourself apart from the interviews. I will not write anything bad in nature about your act or the circus; I actually quite enjoyed the act myself, even though the crowd did not. How did you come to be a Lion Tamer, in the first place?”
Luc had been scrawling notes in his notebook the entire time, looking down here and there to make sure he had not strayed too far from the lines. His handwriting was neat and in cursive, though not the easiest to read at first glance.
Niklas did not seem to be paying attention in the least bit. He almost seemed to snap back into reality after he was finished speaking. “Ah, of course,” Luc said and tried to simplify his words. “I was just asking how you became a Lion Tamer in the first place."
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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:47 pm
“O-oh well... My parent’s were part of the circus, my dad was a lion tamer, I was a sick boy and for some reason when ever I was allowed to get away from my parents I would always go to the lions. You see, Dolch and Nacht were cubs when I was little so I was basically raised with them. When my parent’s passed a new lion tamer came to take their place, Dolch got mad at him and attacked him. I was there when it happened and I was able to get Dolch off the man. Though, the man got mad and attacked Dolch with the whip, but I stood in front of him, not wanting to hurt the lion. I got hit in the face and the man ran away. I was 16 at the time so the lion act was taken out of the show so I could train them. And now, here I am; working with my two best friends in the world. I said too much again didn’t I?” Niklas asked, his blush deepening. He hung his head in embarrassment’ why couldn’t he stop talking? He was usually so quiet...
“Dolch and Nacht were the only one’s there for me when I needed them after my parent’s passed. I depend on them as much as they depend on me...” Niklas finished quietly.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:05 pm
Luc absorbed all the information, not just writing it down, but committing it memory. He couldn’t seem to trust what he was writing right now; he knew it he looked at his notes later, they would be some rubbish and scribbles of illegible words. It was hard for him to focus and write at the same time, so he chose to focus. Focusing was never the most important with the majority of people, but Niklas was not the majority. Luc felt like he needed to listen, listen for as long as Niklas needed to talk.
He wondered how lonely Niklas really was inside. When he had entered the back of the tent with the ringmaster earlier, he had seen Niklas snuggling with the great golden beasts like they were ordinary domesticated house cats. And to hear him speak like Dolch and Nacht were his best friends made him somewhat saddened. Luc felt the need to reach out and take his hand or shoulder, maybe even reassure him a little, comfort him. But he couldn’t do that; that would be wrong to do, unprofessional, not to mention unexpected. He doubted Niklas would like that contact very much either.
“N-no, you didn’t say to much. You were detailed, which is a charming quality…” Luc surprised himself by stuttering, which he never did, not unless he was frightened. And he was not frightened, though his stomach told him he was feeling nervous. “I’m very sorry to hear about your parents… How long is the circus in town?” He jumped right in to the next topic, afraid he would feel too sorry for Niklas if they continued.
He set his pen down on the bench next to him. This question was not for the review, but for his own knowledge.
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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:21 pm
Niklas saw Luc set his pen down, wasn’t he supposed to be interviewing him? Wouldn’t that mean taking notes? Sure, Niklas couldn’t read very well but he assumed he was writing down what he said. What he said? Crap, he just gave his whole bio to a complete, yet hansom, stranger. He looked up and stared into said strangers wonderful pools of grey.
“Uh, well, Paris is a big city; I would say 4 maybe 5 weeks tops. That will give plenty of time for everybody that wants to see the show do so, though because of my screw up today I don’t think I’ll be in it much.” Niklas said the last part quietly, almost a whisper. “Uh, I have a favor to ask you. Can you not say anything about my parents in the paper? Or blame Dolch for tonight’s show?” Niklas asked. He saw the flash of question in Luc’s eyes, causing him to break out in words again.
“I mean, that’s personal stuff and the show wasn’t really Dolch’s fault. Also, I’m kind of he odd ball here and no body really knows about my past unless they were here when it happened. If they find out they might bully me more than they already do and I wouldn’t like that so... just...” He stopped in mid-sentence, Luc’s grey eyes and facial expression calming him enough to make him shut up. “Just... don’t want that...” He managed with some difficulty.
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:41 pm
Luc realized Niklas was getting jumpy, scared almost. He was nervous because he knew Luc had to write a report about the circus and he didn’t want it to be a bad one, just like the ringmaster had feared. He picked up his pen again and tapped it against the edge of the bench a few times before setting it down again-a meaningless act. The circus would be in town for a while, that was good. He could come again, take in some more acts, view more sights, taste more foods, see Niklas some more…
Luc coughed, almost like he was choking on his thoughts. See Niklas some more? He had to be kidding. After a few more dry coughs, he smiled wryly and looked back at Niklas. “Don’t worry. I won’t write about your mess up or Dolch. I came here aiming to write a good report, so that’s what I’ll do.”
Niklas was getting worked up over his memories. Luc could tell and he didn’t want to pry when he was like that. Besides, upset clients sometimes gave jumbled answers, and they couldn’t have that. “Say, Niklas… It’s becoming quite late and you seem tired. I would like to do a follow up interview sometime soon. How about over dinner?” He managed. A lump formed in his throat and he didn’t know why. He laced his gloved fingers together and tapped his thumbs against each other.
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Sly_As_A_Kitsune Vice Captain
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Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:55 pm
Niklas’s blush deepened even more at the last question. Dinner? We was about to say it would be fine, and he could came to the lion’s cage any time but; dinner? Niklas nodded, “Dinner at where?” He asked. He had never been out before, well, once for his 5th birthday his parents took him to a small café but that was it.
And then there was Luc, he was so hansom, he could easily get any girl, why would he want to be spending more time than he had to with him? He wasn’t cute or anything in the least, and he probably smelled like lions, so why him?
“If it’s some place fancy I don’t think I would belong there... I don’t really have nice clothes...” Well, there was his dads wedding tux, the last thing he had of his father, he could wear that? No! He swore not to ever wear it. Then the next question popped into his head. “Why are you being nice to me?” He thought out loud. His eyes widened and his face became a dark crimson color, he clasped his hands over his mouth and hung his head once more, all in a fit of embarrassment.
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